Challenging controlled lunar landing again, India is about to launch "Moonship 3" Time | Moon | Controlled
On July 14th local time, India will carry out its third lunar exploration mission with the goal of becoming the first country to land near the South Pole of the Moon, which has been rarely explored by humans. The Lunar Ship 3 spacecraft cost approximately $75 million and is India's second attempt at a lunar soft landing.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation on July 14th, India plans to launch the Luna 3 spacecraft, which will carry an orbiter, lander, and rover, from the Sri Harikota Space Center in Andhra Pradesh, India at 14:35 local time on July 14th. The lander will arrive on the moon from August 23rd to 24th.
After taking off on July 14th, it will take approximately 15 to 20 days for the lunar rover "Lungshan-3" to enter lunar orbit. Afterwards, scientists will start reducing the rocket's speed in the coming weeks to allow for a soft landing.
If everything goes according to plan, the six wheeled rover on board Luna 3 will be ejected and roam around the rocks and craters on the lunar surface, collecting key data and images, and sending them back to Earth for analysis.
The South Pole of the Moon has not been explored to a large extent, as the shadow area there is much larger than the North Pole of the Moon, which means that there may be water in the area that has been covered by shadows for a long time at the South Pole of the Moon. In 2008, India's lunar rover, HMS 1, first discovered water near the South Pole of the Moon.
India is not the only country that pays attention to the moon, and global interest in the moon is increasing day by day. Scientists say that the moon is a satellite described as a gateway to outer space, and there is still much to learn about.
"If we want to develop the moon into an outpost, a gateway to deep space, then we need to explore more and see what kind of habitat we can build there with locally available materials, and how we will transport supplies to the people there," said Anadourai, the project manager of the lunar rover.
If successful, India will be the fourth country, after the United States, Soviet Union, and China, to achieve a soft landing on the moon.
